Cultural Affairs and Special Events

Millennium Park - Plan Your Visit

Millennium Park has free admission and is open daily from 6am to 11pm.

Directions and Parking

Make your travel to Millennium Park a snap with simple directions and convenient parking.

Driving Directions

Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the north and Monroe Drive to the south.

From The North:

If traveling from the North on the Kennedy Expressway or Edens Expressway (Interstate 90/94), exit at Monroe Street and drive East to Michigan Avenue.

If driving on the Outer Drive (North Lake Shore Drive/Highway 41), exit at Randolph Street or Monroe Street and drive West to Michigan Avenue.

From The South:

If traveling from the South on the Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstates 90/94), exit at Congress Parkway and drive East to Michigan Avenue and then North to Monroe Street. If driving on Lake Shore Drive (Highway 41), exit at Randolph Street and drive West to Michigan Avenue.

From The East:

If traveling from the East on the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 90), take the Chicago Skyway to the Stony Island exit, follow Highway 41 (Lake Shore Drive) to downtown Chicago, exit at Monroe Street and drive West to Michigan Avenue.

If coming in from the East on Interstate 90/94, continue on the Dan Ryan Expressway, exit at Congress Parkway, drive East to Michigan Avenue and then North to Monroe Street.

From The West:

If traveling from the West on the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290), which becomes Congress Parkway, drive East to Michigan Avenue, and then turn North (left) to Monroe Street.

Parking Garages and Bicycle Parking

Convenient parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage, Grant Park North, Grant Park South and East Monroe Garages. For more information or directions for any of these parking garages, visit www.millenniumgarages.com or call 312.616.0600.

Parking is available for bicycles in the McDonald’s Cycle Center, a state of the art facility located in the northeast corner of Millennium Park. For information, visit bikeandpark.com/city/chicago. Bike racks are also located on the concrete pad on the east side of the Pritzker Pavilion, as well as along Michigan Avenue and upper Randolph Street.

Public Transportation

Public transportation is one of the easiest and most economical ways to get around downtown.

CTA

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates a network of buses and elevated / subway trains throughout Chicago. The CTA's website has a number of how-to guides for first time riders.

From the Green, Orange, Brown, Pink and Purple Line Express elevated lines, exit at the Madison/Wabash or Randolph/Wabash stations and walk two blocks east. From the Red and Blue Line subways, exit at Monroe or Washington stations and walk two or three blocks east. The park is also served by buses 3, 4, 6, 14, 20, 56, 60, 124, 151,157 and 173. During weekday rush periods only the Park is also served by buses 26 and 148.

For more travel information, visit www.transitchicago.com or call the Travel Information Center at 1-888-YOUR-CTA or 1-888-CTA-TTY1 (TTY).

METRA

Metra's suburban commuter rail system has 11 lines with 239 stations radiating from downtown Chicago to the six-county area of northeast Illinois. For regional transit schdeules and fares, and a map of downtown stations, visit METRA's website at http://metrarail.com.

Millennium Park is located directly above the Millennium Park Station at Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, with access to the Metra Electric District and South Shore Line trains and the downtown pedway system.

Divvy Bike Program:

Divvy is Chicago's bike sharing system with thousands of bikes and hundreds of stations across the city. Intended to provide Chicagoans and visitors with an additional transportation option for getting around the city. There is a Divvy Bike station located at the Chicago Cultural Center on the Michigan Avenue side of the building. For more information and pricing, please visit www.divvybikes.com.

Group Visits and Bus Drop Off Information

Gather friends and family and head to Millennium Park for a fun-filled day!

Group Visits

Drop by and enjoy the many free offerings of Millennium Park! The Park does not require advance notification for group visits.

Bus Drop-Off Information

Motor coach and school bus drop off is on Upper Randolph Street, east of the turn-around by the Harris Theater. Buses may then proceed to Lower Randolph to wait for their group. The garages that serve Millennium Park can generally accommodate vehicles up to 6'8". Certain areas can accommodate vehicles up to 8'2". For more information, please call the Millennium Garages at 312.616.0600.

Accessibility

Every aspect of Millennium Park has been designed to be fully accessible to all patrons.

Audio tour scripts are available in the Millennium Park Welcome Center for the hearing impaired

Key accessible design elements include:

Ramps adjacent to Michigan Avenue main staircases that start and stop at the same place as the top and bottom landing of the staircase. This allows a person in a wheelchair to get to the same place as an able bodied person without traveling great distances away from the staircase.

The staircase at Columbus and Monroe is adjacent to an elevator.

The BP Bridge never exceeds a 1:20 gradual slope. Slopes greater than 1:20 require handrails, edge protection and flat landings every 30'. These slopes also take physical exertion to push oneself up and greater control to go down. Disabled children rarely have the upper body strength to accomplish this. The Bridge was also designed so the spacing between the floorboards does not exceed 1/4". This ensures that the front wheel of a chair cannot get caught and tip over.

TheCrown Fountain was designed without edges or deep water areas so a wheelchair can easily enter the fountain area and participate with full inclusion.

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion has wheelchair seating spaces throughout the seating area. There are assistive listening devices available for the hearing impaired and 5% of the aisle seats have removable armrests for easy access by a person transferring onto the seat or people who use walkers and canes. In addition, the grass is cut to meet ADAAG guidelines for access - short cut with firm and stable soil foundation to allow a wheelchair to go onto the lawn area.

Tours

Learn more about the history, art and architecture of Millennium Park on a guided or self-guided tour.

Millennium Park Greeter Tours

Available May 26-October 8, 2017 Daily, 11:30am and 1pm Walks depart from the Randolph Lobby at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St.

Take a free 45 minute tour with a Millennium ParkInstaGreeter and learn more about the art and architecture of the Park. No advanced reservations are required. Space is limited to 10 people on a first-come-first-served basis.

Lurie Garden Guided Walks

Throughout the summer, take advantage of FREE Lurie Garden Tours, May 14-September 25 offered Thursdays & Fridays, 11am-1:15pm & Sundays, 10am-1:15pm. Tours last approximately 20 minutes and depart every 15-20 minutes. No registration is required.

Tours for Large Groups

Walking tours are offered for large groups through the Chicago Architecture Foundation. To purchase tickets, visit www.architecture.org or call 312.922.3432.

Dining In The Park

Pack a picnic, visit our concessions tent or dine at the Park Grill while you enjoy the Park under the sun or stars.

Park Grill

Dine at the Park Grill, a 300-seat restaurant located in the McCormick Tribune Plaza at Michigan Avenue and Washington Street, all year long. In the warm-weather months, an outdoor patio is added for an exceptional view of the city skyline. For reservations, call 312.521.7275 or visit their website.

Park Concessions

Refreshments are available for purchase for evening concerts from the concession tents located to the east of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Alcohol sales in the Millennium Park concession tent end one half-hour prior to the end of the concert. Refreshments are also available for purchase from concession carts located on the Chase Promenade.

Picnic in the Park

Bring your own food and drink and plan a picnic on Millennium Park’s Great Lawn or at Running Table, artist Dan Peterman’s 100’ long picnic table made entirely of recyclable materials, located on the Chase Promenade. Alcohol is only allowed during published concerts. We can not guarantee the Great Lawn will be available during your visit due to conditions or treatments.

Millennium Park Rules and Safety

Please observe these general Millennium Park rules to ensure that everyone’s visit is enjoyable.

Millennium Park was created for the enjoyment of Chicago residents and visitors.

While in the Park, please respect the rights of others by allowing free and open access to all areas of the Park at all times, including the following:

For most public performances, alcohol may be consumed in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion seating area and Great Lawn. For ticketed events, concert rules are determined by an outside vendor, which may prohibit guests from bringing alcohol into the Park.

Please walk your bicycles through the Park. Bicycle parking is located at the McDonald’s Cycle Center, a heated indoor facility located in the northeast corner of the Park, and at bike racks located on the concrete pad on the east side of the Pavilion, as well as along Michigan Avenue and upper Randolph Street.

Skating, rollerblading or skateboarding is not allowed in the Park.

The use of motorized vehicles by Park visitors, including but not limited to: cars, scooters, carts, Segways, drones, hover craft and mopeds (exception: ADA recognized mobility devices which do not pose a substantial risk of harm to Park exhibits, other guests and the user) is prohibited unless authorized by prior approval from management. If parking in the Park is approved by management, the individual making the request must obtain a parking permit from the Park Management Office at 201 E. Randolph Street. The parking permit must be displayed in the vehicle at all times while the vehicle is on Park property.

Photography, video or recording devices are strictly forbidden at all concerts in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Smoking is prohibited in the seating area of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Great Lawn, the Lurie Garden, the east and west arcades by the restrooms and the east and west Exelon Buildings.

To protect the Great Lawn and its irrigation system, tents, flags and poles of any kind are not allowed to be inserted into the ground. Balloons, open flame candles and barbeque grills are also prohibited in the Park.

Visitors are prohibited from bringing any animals into the Park other than service animals, as defined by Illinois law.

As a friendly reminder, programs and artists are subject to change without notice.